If you tell elected officials they aren't worth their money anymore, they'll start voting with their own financial interests in mind. That's not good.
A push to cut the salaries of California's statewide elected officials shines a light on an obscure fact in the state constitution: Pay was not meant to be tied to performance.
Nor were the salaries of legislators or other top elected officials designed to be swayed by state budget crises, such as this year's projected $10 billion deficit.
The 1990 constitutional amendment that created California's independent, governor-appointed salary commission did not address the possibility of reducing pay.
We've had bigger deficits. Twice as big, as I recall.
But Roberti said he intended to limit the commission to narrow criteria, largely job duties and comparable salaries, rather than allow politics to creep into salary setting.
Guess what the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association thinks, though.
Anyway, at least one commissioner says, rightly, that the commission's job isn't to evaluate electeds' salaries. That's the voters' job.
Right! So stop cutting in on my turf!
No comments:
Post a Comment